The first Christmas advert from the big high street retailers is about to hit TV screens.

Argos is the first to unveil its festive advert, and it looks like it could well be a hit with viewers.

The short film features an endearing but extremely mischievous 'fool' who is bent on ruining Yuletide proceedings.

Breaking fairy lights, unwrapping presents and generally being a nuisance is the modus operandi of the cheeky, little long-eared creature, writes Belfast Live.

But just when it seems the fool’s ruinous deeds will never end, an Argos Fast Track delivery driver comes to the rescue.

Argos Christmas advert 2018 (Image: Argos)

The driver gives the pesky creature a swift boot into his van, where it lands amongst an army of its own kind, who have also been on a quest to ruin Christmas.

Gary Kibble, marketing director at Argos, said: “Families across the UK work really hard to make their Christmas special, so when something doesn’t go to plan it feels as though there’s a mischievous force working against them.

"We created the fool as the cheeky embodiment of this frustration and the ad brings to life the tiny annoyances that can cause unnecessary festive chaos.

Argos Christmas advert 2018 (Image: Argos)

“Luckily for Brits faced with the fool, we have more than 1,000 stores and pick-up points and almost 1,000 delivery vans on the road so customers can get Christmas orders, such as fairy lights or the latest toy or tech gift, the same day whether they Click & Collect or get Fast Track delivery.

"We expect to deal with around 19 million orders in stores over Christmas, so we’re making Christmas truly fool-proof for British shoppers.”